Challenges

Are You Out Of Balance?

By Brandon W. Jones on February 20, 2013 0

As a leader, you are constantly being pushed and pulled in different directions. You probably have many responsibilities and everyone wants to give you more because you are dependable. That falls in line with the age old saying, “If you really want to get something done, you will give it to someone that is really busy.” With all the responsibilities and/or requests, it can be very easy to become so busy that you get out of balance as a leader.

The Challenge of Maintaining Balance

Several years ago, I was studying to earn my undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering. I was very focused on two things at the time. I wanted to earn my engineering degree and I wanted to get as close to straight A’s as possible. I knew that this would take a lot of dedication to accomplish because it is not an easy task.

With those two goals in mind, I went from semester to semester through the program. Each semester got progressively harder and the classes became more and more time consuming outside of class. I was very dedicated to the point that I didn’t go out with friends on the weekends on many occasions.

I spent long weeks (70-80 hours) doing nothing but completing assignments, studying for my exams, and doing lab-work. In the process I neglected many of my friends and colleagues that would’ve helped me through the program. I got to the point that my life was out of balance. [Read more…] about Are You Out Of Balance?

10 Steps To Make Effective Change

By Brandon W. Jones on January 22, 2013 5

What Does It Take To Make Effective Change?

As a leader, effective change is probably a very common part of your vocabulary. “Improve this process to make work go more smoothly.” “Implement this new procedure to comply with the new regulation.” “Let’s adjust our focus to improve the profit margin.” “Improve the overall effectiveness and efficiency of the organization.” The topic of creating effective change comes up on a regular basis and is disguised by many different words.

As a leader, it is very common to want to make sweeping changes and make them happen NOW, but it is not always possible. There tends to be resistance to change because it causes people to go out of their comfort zone. Effective change requires that people do something new that is unfamiliar or unknown. People many times are afraid that when the changes occur they won’t be able to perform as well as they do in their current position and it will put their jobs in jeopardy. They can also be afraid that change will eliminate the need for their position. These fears are very valid in many cases and cause a tremendous amount of anxiety when people hear the word change.

So what does it take to implement an effective change? Is it even possible? Yes it is possible to implement effective change! The steps below explain how it can be done.

1. Identify the problem or reason for change.

Before you can make any effective change, you must have a full understanding of what is currently happening. Why were the current practices chosen in the past and how were they effective? Also, why are they needing to be changed and how will the proposed change be an improvement?

You should know both the good and the bad of what is currently happening. Once you identify both, you should identify specifically what needs to be improved and why. The worst thing you can do is change something just for the sake of changing it.

If you don’t have a full understanding of the current process, you will probably have a very hard time betting the buy-in of others. On the other hand, when you have a full understanding of the existing process you will be able to explain very specifically why the existing process doesn’t work and why your changes will fix or improve it. [Read more…] about 10 Steps To Make Effective Change

How To Deal With An Office Conflict

By Brandon W. Jones on August 31, 2012 3

This guest post is by Sally B. Sally writes for Principal Corp a leader in the consumer electronics and managed services industry. Principal specializes in Office Systems and fax machines amongst other practical IT based solutions.

Working in an office environment can be a challenge for many people. While office life usually provides an individual with a healthy income, dealing with a large number of co-workers can be difficult. In many cases, office environments suffer from conflicts of interest. Fortunately, there are a number of ways one can avoid problems in a modern office. The following guide provides simple tips and tricks on how to deal with office conflict.

Typical Office Conflicts

Office conflicts are often the result of limited resources. For example, if employees doing the same work receive different levels of compensation, it can be difficult to maintain a healthy workplace. In some cases, unequal levels of pay can lead to dissent in a workforce.

In addition, many office workers experience conflict over budgets for different departments. Since everyone enjoys new computers, chairs and other office equipment, there will often be a lot of competition for these limited goods. [Read more…] about How To Deal With An Office Conflict

Don’t Be Afraid To Say, “I Don’t Know, But…”

By Brandon W. Jones on July 5, 2012 2

This week I had an interesting experience related to customer service. Over the last few weeks, I have had a number of problems with my vehicles. I heard an unusual knocking noise from the engine of our truck and the car just wouldn’t start.

In order to save money, I have always tried to fix my cars by myself or with help from one of my friends wherever possible. I am no master mechanic, but since I am mechanically minded and have had a lot of great tutors along the way, I have been able to do a lot of my own mechanical work.

With each fix, I have had to run back and forth to the auto parts stores. Through the years I have worked with different people at the auto parts stores. Some have been very knowledgeable on cars and the parts and products, while others have not been.

The Problem

This week as I began fixing the truck and car, I had several questions on which parts to use and whether or not they were available. I started out by calling the auto parts store to tell them my situation. They told me they had just the parts I was looking for and I should come in to buy them.

Once I got to the store, I approached one store employee and began to ask him my questions. As he answered my questions, he really didn’t know the true answers but gave me a response anyway. He suggested a couple of options I should try and identified parts I should buy for each.

Just as I have done in the past, I bought the recommended parts and went home to begin working on the car. Once I got home, I began taking things apart. It didn’t take long to realize I had all the wrong parts.

Benefits And Challenges Of A Flat Hierarchy

By Brandon W. Jones on June 21, 2012 0

In leadership, a common hierarchy has one person at the top that oversees everyone else. That one person is responsible for making all the decisions and telling everyone else what to do. They are the leader and will be held responsible for the success and failure of their company or organization. This hierarchy has existed for so long that many people don’t think you can be a leader unless you are responsible for leading your group or organization.

Flat Hierarchy

Today, however, many people are starting to have leaders in a flat hierarchy organization. There are leaders in organizations where everyone is on the same plane. These organizations have no bosses and not one person has all the control. Many people would say that this type of a setup can’t exist and be successful because there is no leader. Some people would even say that leadership, success, and a flat hierarchy don’t belong in the same sentence. [Read more…] about Benefits And Challenges Of A Flat Hierarchy

Overcoming The Leadership Blogging Challenges

By Brandon W. Jones on May 18, 2012 2

Recently, I received a comment on one of my blog posts asking for some insight on how I started out as a blogger. The question went as follows:

Brandon, I liked the article. However, I’d like to know how you overcame the blogging challenges to be a consistent blogger. Hearing your personal experience relative to the topic is like a breath of fresh air and sets your blogs apart from the rest. What problems did you face when starting out this webpage/blog? Did you have to do a little self “reprogramming” to be consistent? Were there any tools you used that helped? Thanks.

He brought up some very important questions that each blogger must ask him/herself when they start out blogging. If you want to be an avid blogger and gain a following, you must know how to answer the questions he asked. When you first start out blogging, there are many challenges you will encounter. If you want to be a blogger, you must set your goals before you even start so you know the direction you plan to go.

How do you overcome blogging challenges to become a consistent blogger?

I have been blogging for the past two years off and on. I started out blogging when I was in the MBA program at the University of Nevada – Reno. At that time, I had to blog for a class I took from Bret L. Simmons. The blogs we wrote were responses to case studies and articles we read.

I posted blog posts as often as we were required to in the class. By the end of the class I had gotten a few followers for my blog. I then felt obligated to continue blogging. I wasn’t very consistent at that time though. I would blog for a few weeks and then miss a few or sometimes even a month. I was very sporatic. [Read more…] about Overcoming The Leadership Blogging Challenges